


Bruises

by losersclaia



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: F/F, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Stanley Uris, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Pansexual Mike Hanlon, Reddie, Stanlon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 08:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13714191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/losersclaia/pseuds/losersclaia
Summary: ‘You have bruises ‘ He finally split out. His voice was rapsy from not speaking for a long time. They were both in state of almost sleeping.‘Yeah, everybody has bruises. That’s was makes you human ‘ he said after a long silence.





	1. 1. The night we meet

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first reddie fanfic so be gentle lmao anyway it's kinda boring let's hope it's gonna get better. Every chapter is named by a song and for this one it's Lord Huron - The Night We Met, enjoy! ALSO BIG THANK YOU TO MY BETA 80sreddie !

It was the beginning of september, the weather was warm, almost like in the summer, but cold enough for people to not  wear shorts and summer dresses.The sun was shining weaker and weaker with every day in preparation for autumn. Kids were no longer running around neighbourhoods, school began just a few days ago. It’s a tuesday afternoon, and school just ended a few minutes ago.

 Eddie Kaspbrak walked down the street with rather bored expression on his face, a plastic bag with a red logo hanging loosely from his hand. His mother asked him to go on a quick pharmacy walk for her medications on his way home, since she's laying in bed,sick. Sonia Kaspbrak is usually a big pain in the ass, so sick Sonia Kaspbrak was even worse. Eddie didn’t want to start an unnecessary fight so, he said yes. At least it was a few minutes less at home.

 He inhaled and exhaled loudly. He wanted to be with his friends now. They were having fun without him at the arcade, again. They played a new movie and all of them agreed to see it today after school. He still had about an hour or so to make it on time.

 Suddenly he heard a noise of glass breaking and, not long after, a shout. He raised his head up and looked around. A few houses away on the other side of the street there was a truck filled with stuff. Looked like someone was moving in. Then he glanced over, a few meters away was standing a man. He was tall with dark hair and a masculine body. He was standing with one hand on his hip, and pointing his finger at a boy in front of him. He was taller than the older man but somehow, he looked even smaller curled up in himself as the man shouted. He had a mop of dark, curly hair and big, coke bottle glasses, which probably were his most recognisable feature. His face was looking down at a carton laying on the ground and the pieces of glass laying all around it. His hand reached to fix his glasses that were falling off the bridge of his nose.

 ' God can't you do one thing without destroying everything!? ' The shout was so loud that the curly-haired boy shivered, and even Eddie jumped a little.

 He looked down at his feet and started walking faster to get home. When he walked past the scene the shouts become louder and louder, and Eddie felt a rush of compassion. _Not having dad at all was better than having an abusive dad._

 The man rested his hand on the boys pale forearm and dragged him inside the house as he stumbled on his feet. Eddie didn’t even realised that he stopped walking , he just  stood there in the middle of the sidewalk, wondering _what’s gonna happen to the boy  with the big glasses_. Eddie looked around as if to check if someone else watched the scene, but the streets were empty.He started walking again. Finally after 10 more minutes, he walked into the hall of his house. He took of his shoes and put them on a mat next to the door.

 ' Eddie bear, is that you? ' his sick mother's voice rang through the corridor, he cringed at the nickname.

 He was 17 years old for God sake. Sometimes he feels like a 12 year old boy, with the hundreds of pills in the bathroom cabinet waiting for him. His mom sure treated him like he still was that little boy, swallowing fake pills as she smiled at him.

 He never truly forgave Sonia for stuffing him with pills he, earlier learned, he didn’t need. His whole life fell apart. He could’ve been a normal kid without allergies all along, but  she took it away. _Just like she always does._

 Eddie rolled his eyes. ' It's me Ma! ' he shouted as he walked into the kitchen.

 ' Edward don't shout, you know my head hurts! ' She groaned from the other room. _Oh the irony._

 'Sorry Ma..' he said, more to himself than to her.

 He put the bag on the table and started taking out the medications. It was a lot  more than his mother _actually_ needed, but he's never gonna start that conversation with her again.

He put all the medications on the tray and added a glass of water to it. He looked around and breathed out loudly, then took the tray into his hands and walked toward his mom's room.

Her room, like the rest of the house (beside Eddie's room), was old-fashioned and _way_ too clean. Everything looked like museum exhibits.

 Ever since Eddie was little, he remembered Sonia telling him to not touch things and to keep everything clean, especially dad's stuff. Since he died, she had an obsession with keeping everything like it  used to be. Like nothing changed, like dad was about to walk into the house from work in a minute, kiss her on a cheek, and with tired smile, lay on the couch to watch TV.

 Eddie could only imagine it from her stories. The only time she ever smiles is then, when she closes her eyes and thinks of those times. His dad died when he was a few months old. He knew his face from pictures hanging all around the house, but he knew nothing about him, and that hurt the most.

 Sometimes he couldn't help but think that his mother would be different with him around.

 ‘Oh thank you honey, you’re so kind. ‘ she smiled at him from her bed as he approached.

 Eddie only smiled and put the tray on the bedside table, then turning around to leave. Finally, he had time to go and meet with his friends. He thankfully still had time before movie is gonna start.

 Just when he was about to leave the room, his mother spoke again. ‘ Sweetie, could you please go grocery shopping for me? There is a list and money in the kitchen. ‘

 He clutched his hands into fists and closed his eyes to try and calm down. When he turned around, a fake smile was painted all over his freckled face. ‘ Sure Ma.‘ he said softly.

 As soon as Eddie walked out of the house, he dropped his mask and groaned loudly. If he’s gonna make it quick, there still be time to bike to the cinema. Eddie hopped on his bike and started pedaling as fast as he could, his legs were aching and his back and forehead were covered with sweat, making his shirt stick to his skin.

 Soon enough, the market showed at the horizon and Eddie breathed loudly with relief. The big red neon sign was glowing so intense that Eddie had to squint his eyes. He parked his bike and unzipped the fanny pack hanging on his hip. He took out his inhaler and puffed a big dose into his lungs. He slowly exhaled as the substance filled his lungs, helping him almost straight away.  When his breath got steady, the inhaler was replaced with a shopping list. It wasn’t long, there was only two of them after all.

 Eddie held the list in his hands as he walked through the aisles, taking products from shelves and throwing them into the basket. A few basic things like apples, toothpaste, coffee, and sugar free candies. Sonia Kaspbrak was an obese woman herself, but her son ate all the right and healthy things since he was born. Finally, he reached the last point on the list, gluten free cereals. He quickly walked toward the aisle and then put his basket down. The big wall filled with every kind of cereal he could dream of met his eyes. He scanned through it in search of a familiar light green and white package, and when he finally spotted it his face dropped. It was on the highest shelf in the corner. Sonia was probably the only person even buying it, so no wonders it was all the way up there.

 So Eddie stood there, hands on his hips as he thought of a plan to get them. Finally, he walked over to the shelf and stood on his tiptoes, his hands spreaded as much as he could, but still here was a few centimeters left. His face was flushed as he started jumping up.

 Suddenly, there was a hand over his head reaching for the box he needed so badly. As Eddie turned around, he almost tripped on his feet when he saw the boy from earlier, holding the box in his pale hands.

 He towered over Eddie, about one and a half head, if not more. He stood there in skinny jeans, dirty white shoes, and a hideous hawaiian button-up over a white t-shirt. As Eddie scanned his face, glasses covering most of it. His eyes didn’t miss the red bruise on his left cheek, though. The bright red was contrasting with his pale, milky skin. Now that Eddie was so much closer, he could see freckles covering his face, and that his glasses made his brown eyes look so much bigger and brighter.  

 ‘ Here you go, little guy. ‘ he smirked and reached to hand over the box.

 Eddie’s face frowned, a slight blush forming on his cheeks.‘ I’m not little, ‘ he hissed. ‘ It’s not my fault that you’re a giant and everything is small to you. ‘

 The boy looked at him with a raised eyebrow for a second, and then started laughing. ‘ Sure, whatever makes you feel better. ‘

 Eddie was still looking at him with angry face as he accepted the box.

 ‘ Not even a thank you? Not nice… ‘ his face showed a silent question.

 ‘ I’m Eddie. ‘ In that moment, he realised he was acting like a total dick to the boy.

 ‘ Tozier. Richie Tozier, ‘ he bowed. ‘ nice to meet ya, Eds ‘ his accent suddenly, changed, leaving Eddie confused.

 Eddie looked at Richie with serious look on his face ‘ Do not _ever_ call me Eds again. ‘ he hissed through his teeth.

 Richie threw his hands in the air in defense ‘Ok ok, sorry. So much anger is such a small body. ‘ he laughed.

 Eddie looked down from  him with annoyed expression. They stared at each other for a few seconds, not really knowing what to say. Eddie wasn’t really good with people. He had a total of five people he considered friends. His popularity at school started at being called loser, and ended at being called fairy boy or fag. To put it simply, he wasn’t popular or liked, more like bullied and laughed at. But it was fine, as long as he had the losers by his side. He didn’t need anymore friends.

 ‘ So…’ Richie began to speak and Eddie lifted his head up to look at him, but at the same time he met his eyes, a loud ‘ Richard ! ‘ pierced through the shop.

 Soon after, a tall woman with long, blonde hair walked into the aisle. She stopped pushing her cart and looked at Richie with an impatient  expression. She was dressed in jeans that were loosely hanging around her ankles and pink shirt. She looked young, but her eyes were tired.

 ‘Can we go? ‘ she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

 Richie looked at her, and then back at Eddie ‘ See ya around Eds. ‘ he smiled and Eddie noticed his crooked teeth at the front.

 Richie winked at him before jogging toward his mom. When Eddie finally turned around he and beautiful women were long gone. Like he was woken from a dream, Eddie turned his attention back to his basket and threw the box in it.

 Eddie paid and packed all of the products,  finally walking out of the market. Cold wind hit his face and messed with his hair. It was almost dark outside. _Great._

 As soon as Eddie put his bags into the small basket attached to his bike, he looked at small watch hanging on his wrist and sighed loudly. All of the losers were probably on their way home already. Maybe not Beverly, though, she always stayed longer than anyone.

That night, when Eddie was lying in bed, his eyes were focused on the window as he watched the dark sky. He wondered. He wondered about tomorrow. Tomorrow he had a dreaded math test and he had to hand over his essay about his summer adventure. He wrote it a few days ago and gave it to Ben to check. But there was one more thing wandering in his mind, _Richie and the red bruise on his cheek._


	2. Someone new

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song for this chapter is someone new by hozier! big thanks to @voidxdenbrough on twitter for being my beta!
> 
> I'm sorry it's taking so long but i had a few issues with my beta x

Richie looked through the window as the view passed, forehead pressed to the glass. Derry wasn’t very interesting, but at the same time, it was magical. The little town in Maine looked like it was straight from an 80’s movie. It had its charm. Walking around, Richie felt like he was trapped in a bubble, separated from the rest of the world. He hasn’t seen much of it yet, since they just moved in. Deep down he hoped that he was going to meet someone, maybe a new friend, who could show him all of Derry’s magic.

He lived in Derry for less than two days, but he could already tell it was different from living in LA in every aspect possible. Crowded, loud, and diverse streets were exchanged for empty, quiet sidewalks with newly cut grass. Constant warm weather was now replaced by cold wind and waking up to foggy streets every morning. Crowded malls and restaurants were less popular than the arcade, which Richie had yet to discover. It wasn’t bad, it was just different.

The car stopped in front of medium size building. The words ‘Derry High School’ were carved above the door into the stone. A few kids ran towards the school, probably running late, but other than that it was empty and, again, quiet.

‘ Good luck son. ‘ said his father in his usual cold and emotionless voice.

Richie finally glanced over from the window at the man sitting in the driver’s seat. He had sunglasses on, even though the sun wasn’t shining that much. His eyes were focused on the road ahead of him, he hadn’t spared a single glance at his son.

‘ Yeah, whatever. ‘ Richie said as he reached for his backpack from the backseat, swinging open the door.

Just as he was about to get out of the car, a tight grip around his upper arm stopped him.

‘ Do I need to remind you that there’s to be no skipping or smoking? If I get one call from this school about your behavior, you know what’s gonna happen. ‘ he hissed. ‘ Understood? ‘

Richie shrugged in his seat uncomfortably, ‘ Mhm.. ‘ he stammered quietly.

His father’s grip got even tighter. ‘ Understood? ‘ his voice was stone cold.

‘ Y-yes. ‘ he answered, jumping out of the car as soon as his grip loosened.

Wentworth Tozier didn’t even look twice at his son before speeding off. Richie waved a middle finger in the air in the direction of the car as he adjusted his backpack on his shoulder. He took out a pack of cigarettes from a pocket in his tattered jean jacket, quickly lit it, and took a long drag to calm his nerves. With every drag, his hands slowly stopped shaking. A few minutes later he was on the stairs leading to the building.

As he walked inside, he couldn’t help but notice the difference between his old school and this one. It wasn’t as colorful and welcoming. The walls were painted in beige and the smell coming from the cafeteria was rather unpleasant.

Further into the hall, he saw the secretary room, where he was told to go to retrieve his schedule. He walked over and softy knocked on the door. A bored ‘ Come in. ‘ sounded through the door.

When the door opened, Richie was met with an older lady wearing glasses almost as thick as his own and a lifeless expression on her face.

‘ How can i help you ? ‘ she spoke.

‘Emm… I’m the new student? Tozie- ‘ he started.

‘ Oh right, ‘ she interjected, looking down at a brown folder laying on her desk. ‘ Tozier, Richard. ‘ she mumbled to herself.

For an older lady, she worked on the computer rather efficiently. Moments later, the loud sound of the printer filled the room. When it was done printing, she snatched the piece of paper and held it out for Richie to take.

‘ That’s your schedule. ‘ she said and turned back to her computer.

Richie stood there uncomfortably, waiting for her to say anything more. The woman looked at him from behind her thick glasses. ‘ Well? What are you waiting for? ‘

‘ Right, thank you. ‘ he raised an eyebrow and turned around to leave.

As soon the door closed, Richie looked at the schedule in his hands. Math was first. Just fucking perfect. A loud sigh escaped his mouth. The only thing he wanted to do in that moment was skip, but as soon as the idea popped into his head, he saw the image of his father, threatening him in a stern tone.

 

‘ Do I need to remind you that there’s to be no skipping or smoking? If I get one call from this school about your behavior, you know what’s gonna happen. ‘

Indeed he knew what would happen. So he shoved the paper into the back pocket of his black skinny jeans and walked toward the classroom.  
The room was pretty easy to find, which relieved him. Richie grew up in huge, overcrowded schools so this was a piece of cake.

He knocked loudly and, without waiting, burst into class. Suddenly, everyone was looking at him, including the teacher.

‘ Oh right, I forgot. ‘ the teacher spoke flatly.

He was in about his late 40s, his head almost bald, a beer belly stretching out his grey sweater.

‘ Class, this is our new student, Richard Tozier. ‘ he said without any interest, his voice bland.  
‘ Welcome him into the school community, or whatever. Richard please take your seat ‘ he pointed at the empty desk.

About twenty pairs of eyes scanned his every move. His hands started to shake a little again. He stuffed them into the big pockets of his jacket and moved toward the seat at the back of the class. Only then, when he put his backpack on the desk and stretched comfortably in his chair, did he get a chance to look at people around him.

He didn’t recognize anyone, which wasn’t a big surprise. His lazy gaze skimmed over the backs of the people that he was gonna have to be around for a few more years.

Then his eyes lay upon someone interesting. A small figure was craned towards the back of the class, observing Richie from behind his long lashes, pieces of his curly mop of hair falling onto his forehead.

His cheeks flushed when Richie met eyes with him. One of the straps of his overalls was sliding off of his shoulder, the collar of his white shirt stretched, displaying a sliver of his tanned collarbone.

Holy fuck he’s the cutest thing.

Richie winked playfully at the boy and smirked lightly. Eddie’s cheeks flushed even more. He quickly turned back to the teacher again. Seconds later, a boy with messy blonde hair sitting next to Eddie turned around with a raised eyebrow. He looked at Richie as he formed a gun with his hands and pointed it at him. The curly haired boy only rolled his eyes and turned around.

*

Eddie sat down at the table and took his lunch box out of his bag. Stan sat right next to him, as he always did. They had the majority of their classes together that year, which was really fortunate.  
‘ Soo… what’s with the new guy? ‘ Stan said without looking up from the phone in his hands. He’s probably texting Mike.

Eddie almost choked on the juice he was drinking. ‘ What’s with him? ‘ he answered, trying to seem lowkey about it. Because he is lowkey about it.

Stan shifted his glance from his phone and looked into Eddie’s eyes for few seconds. ‘ Jesus fucking christ Stan, stop being so creepy. ‘ he muttered as he looked away.

‘ What’s up? Who’s creepy? ‘ Beverly said as she sat down on the bench, one leg tucked under her chin.

Her short, red hair was the kind of messy that actually looked good. Her milky, slightly tanned skin contrasted with her strikingly bright, blue eyes. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt that was tucked into light wash high-waisted jeans. She took out her water bottle, twisted the cap off, and took a few sips, still holding her gaze on Eddie.

‘ Stan. ‘ Eddie answered in an annoyed manner.

‘ Oh, so the usual. ‘ she said as she took a few grapes from Eddie’s lunch box and started stuffing them into her mouth. ‘ Did any of you see the new guy yet? ‘

‘ Eddie did. ‘ Stan said, most of his attention directed towards his phone screen.

Eddie elbowed him in ribs, causing Stan to mutter an annoyed ‘What the fuck?’ as Bev raised her eyebrow.

‘ We have math together, and so does Stan. ‘ Eddie explained, attitude dripping from his words as he defended himself. ‘ I don’t know him. ‘

At the same time, Mike joined the table. He was smiling like always, dressed in his letterman jacket and dark jeans. Eddie couldn’t help but smile.

Mike’s presence always seemed to lighten up the mood and make everyone feel giddy. Mike Hanlon was an extraordinary person. He was homeschooled most of his life, he joined the rest of the losers only a year ago. He was quite a revelation for the P.E. teacher, who encouraged him to sign up for football tryouts right away.

Mike was the friend you’d turn to for advice or comfort when you have an issue. He always listened and never judged. That’s why he was the first person Eddie ever came out to, and the last one, for now.

It’s not that Eddie didn’t trust the other losers, he obviously did, but there was something always holding him back. Mike, being the amazing person he is, just made him feel comfortable. Eddie knew he could tell Mike, so he did exactly that. Since then, Eddie had thought about telling the rest so many times. It just seemed like he could never find the right time to do so.

‘ Hello everyone, ‘ he said while sitting next to Bev. ‘Ben and Bill are busy with some project, so they won’t be joining us today. ‘

Eddie didn’t miss the moment when, as soon as Mike showed up, Stan shoved his phone into the pocket of his pants and focused on the conversation fully.

They started talking about the usual stuff, school, plans after school, annoying teachers giving them assignments in only second day of school and Mike’s football game next week.

Eddie switched off from the conversation for a bit remembering he has to go to the library to rent a book he need to read for english class. He had to be quick before the rest decided to do it too. So he stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and got up from his sit gaining attention of his friends.

‘I need to go to the library ‘ he explained ‘ see you guys later ‘ he waved them goodbye and started walking.

The way from the canteen to the library was short. Eddie only had to leave the school building and walk to the building attached to the back of the school. He quickly walked out of the school and walked over to it. The small building finally met his eyes. Metal stairs were leading straight to the doors which was, in Eddie’s mind , really dangerous in the winter when it gets slippery.

What caught Eddie’s eyes was a person sitting at the stairs. Richie Tozier was sitting on the 5th step with his long and lanky legs stretched on the rest of them till they meet the ground. He looked out of place with his ripped jeans and weird shirts. With the bruise on the cheek, a little bit less visible, he looked like an image, bad boy causing troubles from a movie, not a real person. With his cigarette between his lips and a cloud of smoke surrounding him he looked like he belonged to something bigger than Derry High School.

‘ Eds, hey! ‘ he said, his voice a little raspy like he haven’t talked to anyone in a while.

Maybe he haven’t. He’s new after all and it’s only half of the day.

Eddie rolled his eyes, he really hoped that somehow he’d walk by unnoticed.

‘Hi ‘ he said quickly and started walking up the stairs.

‘How’s you day ? ‘ he suddenly heard behind him.

Eddie stopped in track and looked behind him at the curly-haired boy. He hadn’t moved even an inch still looking at the space in front of him.

He wondered what to say, ‘fine’ or ‘ok’ didn’t seem to fit very well.

‘Shouldn’t I be asking? It’s your first day ‘

‘Guess it is, dunno really, kinda boring ‘ he shrugged his shoulders ‘ you’re not gonna grace me with your presence? ‘ he looked past his shoulder at Eddie.

‘Nah ‘ he cringed ‘ not with that thing in your hand ‘ he pointed at the cigarette.

Richie only rolled his eyes and threw the rest of his smoke on the ground in front of them. Without a word Eddie slowly made his way back to the taller boy and sat at the step next to him.

‘ Smoking is bad for you, you know? ‘ Eddie split out not really knowing what to say to the boy, they don’t know each other so he didn’t really have any basic information to start a conversation.

‘ Yeah no shit Sherlock ‘ he laughed shortly ‘ As they say you gotta day on something, am i right? ‘

Eddie didn’t laugh. His dad died of lung cancer. Because of cigarettes, a stupid addiction, he never got to meet his dad. His dad wasn’t here to teach his how to ride a bike, take him on ice cream or whatever fathers should do, Eddie wouldn’t knew.

‘ Right death at 25 in agony with rotten lungs is fun ‘ he sounded more bitter than he intended to.

It’s Richie’s life after all, he can do whatever he wants to, just not in Eddie’s presence.

‘ Oww why so hard on me man? You hurtin my feels ‘ he said with over dramatic voice while putting his palm where heart is.

‘ I need to go’ Eddie said after a few minutes ‘ lunch is about to end and i need my book ‘

He got up from the stairs and brushed off invisible dirt from his pants. ‘ See you around I guess ‘

When Eddie was at the top of the stairs the other boy finally spoke ‘ Yeah see you ‘round sweet cheeks ‘

Eddie’s face started burning at the nickname but he quickly entered the library before Richie could turn around, look at him and draw some kind of sick satisfaction he seems to get from embarrassing others.

As he walked into the library a feeling of calm surrounded him. It was like walking into the another dimension. Eddie loved libraries, they were quiet and cozy and the lady behind the counter was nice, always extending Eddie’s time for keeping books.

Now the place was empty. Usually there are a few kids hanging around, doing homework or working on projects but it was only the beginning of school year.

‘ Hello Eddie ‘ The soft voice of a middle-aged woman ripped him out of his thinking.

‘Hi Ettel ‘ he smiled and waved his hand.

Eddie walked to the caunter and told the librarian the title he was looking for. She quickly disappeared into the shelves and after a few minutes she came back with a book in her hand. Eddie handed her his membership card and she slided in the scanner and gave him the book.

It was old, dusty and damaged ,obviously used by generations of students before him. Eddie smiled at Ettel and mouthed a small ‘thank you’ before leaving.

When the door behind him closed, he looked down the stairs Richie was already gone.


	3. We'r going to be friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if im gonna update this fanfic again i just had this chapter finished so i thought imma post it. mind that english is not my first language and its not corrected or checked by anyone so sorry for any mistakes, I tried. 
> 
> The song for this chapter is we're going to be friends by The white stripes !!

Later on in day Eddie had all of his classes without any of his friends so they seemed to last forever as monotonous voice of teachers echoed at the back of his head not really listening and taking notes more like robotic reflex  than being involved in the lesson and paying attention.

When the last bell finally hit his ears the sigh of relief escaped his lips. He quickly packed his binder and pen to his backpack and headed to exit. Before walking out of the school boy stopped by his locker leaving all the stuff he doesn’t need and taking stuff he’s gonna need for tomorrow.

‘See ya tomorrow! ‘ Bev’s hand touched his shoulder as she walked by with her backpack swung over one of her shoulders even through Eddie told her many times how bad it is for her back.

She was walking backwards for a few seconds as she smiled and waved her hand in goodbye. Eddie waved at her and a few seconds later she was gone in the waves of students trying to get out of the school as soon as possible. Then he slammed his locker loudly and threw his jacket on his shoulders.

Few minutes later Eddie was by his bike getting ready to leave. He didn’t really want to go home. His mother was still sick and even more annoying than the day before. Sure there was always an option of locking himself in the room and doing homework till late but to be honest there wasn’t much to do just yet. So he swung his leg above bike’s frame and settled himself on saddle. His legs pushed bike ahead as he started pedalling.

A light wind was blowing on his face as he made his way down the street. Eddie closed his eyes for a seconds enjoying the weather. Wind was blowing his hair away from his face and he felt weirdly great after so many hours in school.

‘ Hey Eddie! ‘ he suddenly heard somewhere in the back.

He frowned his eyebrows as he looked over his shoulder. Richie was a few meters behind him with backpack threw over just one shoulder, just like Bev. He was waving at Eddie with a friendly smile. Boy looked maybe a little too long because the next thing he saw was Richie’s worried face as he was about to yell and then tire of his bike his hard against the curb.

Eddie landed on the sidewalk hitting the sett hard. He wasn’t moving yet but he could feel the warm blood streaming from one of his knees and a sharp pain in his arm. He heard a voice shouting his name like he was under water but then a steady grip touched his shoulder firmly.

‘Oh god are you ok?’ His voice was loud and Eddie was already feeling the headache coming, he moaned in pain. ‘Of course you’re not why am I even asking’ Richie said to himself.

Then he gently put both of his hands on Eddie’s waist and helped him sit on the sidewalk. Eddie’s vision was a little blurry when he looked at the boy kneeling in front of him with worried expression. He put his hand on Eddie’s knee as he looked at something.

Eddie traced his glance and looked at his bruised, bloody knee. ‘ Oh no, my mom is gonna kill me’

Richie looked at him with raised eyebrow and confusion painted across his face. ‘ How’s your hand? ‘ his eyes dropped at the arm Eddie was hugging to his chest.

It was red with blood and skin was ripped off at some parts but apart from it and a big blue bruise that was already forming on his forearm it seemed to be fine.

‘F-fine, I don’t think it’s broken’ he let out and slowly stretched his fingers.

Richie took this time to look at the boy in front of him a little closer. His hair were getting a little too long letting small, gentle curls rest on the back of his neck they weren’t as curly as Richie’s but they suited his really well. He wasn’t skinny, he had filled chubby cheeks and he was build rather curvy. His skin was tanned in the places he could see and overalls, now with a big hole on the right knee were suiting his body just fine. Going up all he could see were wet cheeks and watery eyes still hurt from the accident and freckles shining in tears right under his eyes.

‘ Can you get up ? ‘ Richie finally asked, hand still folded gently on boy’s shoulder.

‘ Yeah obviously ‘ Eddie snapped back, maybe a little too harsh.

Even through Eddie confirmed that he’s going to be fine Richie still held him as he was getting up, just in case and handed him his bike that way laying on the ground.

‘ Sooo… in return for saving your life-’

‘ Are you serious? You’re the reason I fell in the first place! ‘ Eddie’s tears were now gone and exchanged for rosy cheeks and determination written on his face. ‘ It’s all your fault! ‘

Richie raised his hands up in gesture of surrender, cheeky smile on his face. ‘ Ow ok fine! My fault! ‘ he let out a loud chuckle ‘ So let me redeem myself, what do you say about it ? I’m gonna buy you a coffee an-’

‘ I don’t drink coffee ‘ Interrupted Eddie with one hand on a frame of the bike and one on his him looking at Richie from behind range of long, lashes.

‘ Ok then tea or whatever, I’ll buy you anything you want ‘ he shrugged his shoulders ‘ And you’re gonna show me around this shithole, I’m sure there plenty of places to see ‘ he ended with a forward wink that Eddie didn’t even noticed looking at his feet.

‘ There is really nothing special in here, I’m sure it was more fun from where you come from ‘

‘ Yeah no shit ‘ he answered gaining a disapproved look from shorter boy ‘ Doesn’t mean there is nothing fun to do here, right Eds ? ‘

In that moment Richie could observe a mix of emotions boiling inside of that small body. His cheeks and neck, still a bit tanned, were rosy red but his face was both a mixture of disappointment, anger and annoyance but at the same time he tried hard to hide a  small smile forming on his lips.

‘Call me Eds one more time and you’re not gonna see anything ever again ‘ he said after giving himself a few seconds not to blow up on the lanky boy.

Quick after that Eddie, without giving Richie any chance to even respond started pushing his bike forward and walking right next to it in the direction of home.

‘ So that means yes ?! ‘ Richie yelled from a few meters away but was only given a quick look from behind the shoulder with amused look on boy’s face ‘ Ok, see you tomorrow Eds! ‘

Eddie, climbing up the street only put his arm up and held the middle finger in direction behind him. Richie let out a loud laugh and shook his head looking down. _There is something about this boy._

 


End file.
